by Moe Zilla

Created on: June 08, 2008

1969 was a strange moment in music history, with the #1 song of the year being recorded by a band of cartoon characters. "The Archies" were a non-existent rock group whose songs were all recorded by uncredited studio musicians, and they were propped up by some of the biggest names in the music industry. Critics hate to admit that the music was actually pretty good, and ultimately "The Archies" sold millions of copies of songs like "Bang-Shang-a-Lang," "Who's Your Baby," and "Jingle Jangle."

Many of the songs were written by Jeff Barry, who had already produced the Monkees biggest hits (including "I'm a Believer" and "A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You.") And the Archie songs were selected by Don Kirshner, another collaborator with the Monkees who enjoyed a reputation as "the man with the golden ear." Legend has it that after an argument with the Monkees, Kirshner had wanted to hook up with a new group that would never challenge his musical direction - which led him to the cartoon characters of "The Archies." (On the records label, Kirshner's name appeared in inch-high letters, even larger than the name of the group!)

And though cartoons showed the songs being sung by cartoon chracters like Jughead, Reggie, and Archie, nearly all of the vocals were provided by a talented young singer named Ron Dante, who'd another big top 10 single in 1969 with the Cufflinks - "Tracy (When I'm With You)." Dante remembered in a later interview that "We recorded maybe thirty or forty songs in a three or four week period," and that "Sugar, Sugar," the Archie's biggest hit, "was just another song." Ultimately the cartoon group cranked out 100 songs - more than 40 of which have never even been released on CD.

The music was simple and cheery enough to fit the image of a cartoon band, but with a slick pop sound that seemed determined to prove that the Archies could deliver real top-40 music. Working on two levels, they aimed for an audience of savvy teenagers, while giving younger children a chance to collect some Archie memorabilia. The songs were featured regularly in the Archie's Saturday morning cartoon, and even given away to children on the back of boxes of cereal. But older teenagers could listen to the same songs on any top-40 radio station in America.

The Archies' biggest weakness was the fact that the band didn't really exist. The cartoons showing them playing songs were often animated before the songs were even finished, and ultimately the same footage could be used regardless of which songs were being played. Over the next decade the cheap cartoon footage was endlessly recycled and re-packaged into new shows with titles like "Everything's Archie," and "Archie's TV Funnies." But the Archies' music couldn't use the same trick to keep up with changing musical tastes, and they released their last song in 1972. But they'd released four songs which broke into America's top 40.

Not a bad career for an all-cartoon band.

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